Chapter 48: Chapter 48. Basilisk
Everyone nodded.
"We are completely surrounded by mountains. And we are in a valley. This means we are in a very vulnerable position if creatures are lurking in the vicinity. We could be ambushed at anytime," Aiden said.
Everyone nodded.
"What do we do?" Asmodeus asked.
"I think we need to leave this valley," Seraphina said.
"Definitely. However, we need to scout around the area for any signs of danger as we leave this valley," Luke said.
"Exactly." Aiden nodded. "Leave the scouting part to me."
Everyone nodded.
"Everyone should be on their guard for any unforeseen threats. We also need to kill as many creatures in this pocket world as we can. That could be the key to closing it. Let’s also be on the guard for strange looking pools, artifacts, carcasses of large creatures, or regions with extreme concentration of natural energy as we navigate this place. 10% out of all pocket worlds are special pocket worlds," Aiden said.
"Let’s move."
Everyone nodded.
Their footsteps left prints in the snow as they moved.
Aiden’s crimson eyes narrowed as he scanned the perimeter.
All he saw were mountains around the place.
There were no creatures in the vicinity.
This was good news because it meant no creatures were lurking around the place.
But it could also mean several things.
An overlord could be in the area, so other creatures could be steering clear of them.
Or an unforeseen environmental hazard had killed the creatures in the area.
He informed the group about his thoughts, so that they remain vigilant.
They moved quickly through the snow.
Eventually, they left the valley and arrived at a highland, following Aiden’s lead.
They had not come across any environmental hazards so far. Neither had they come across an overlord creature in the area.
"We should try and get into a cave or something on a mountain. That way we can study the environment proper," Desmonda suggested.
Everyone agreed with her.
Aiden had scouted a cave ahead.
A large crimson chain with hook edges formed before him.
The hook edged chains shot towards the horizon.
"Grab on," Aiden said.
Everyone grabbed the chains tightly.
Then, under Aiden’s will the chains swung them upwards towards the skies with swift speed.
Then, the chains turned into blobs of blood, turned into crimson wings and attached themselves to his back.
"Make use of aerial maneuvering to stabilize yourself, but don’t change your path," Aiden said.
Desmonda manifested lightning beneath her feet.
A couple of wings formed from light appeared on Luke’s back.
Seraphina clapped her hands, generating vibrations that stabilised her mid-air.
Asmodeus manipulated gravity around him to stay afloat.
Candice manifested stones of ice beneath her, on which she ascended upwards.
The group finally landed before the cave.
They entered the cave and relaxed for a while.
During this period, Aiden quietly scouted the area from the cave. The highland gave him a scouting advantage. Also, from his location, his scan could cover areas he could not cover previously.
Aiden eventually squinted his eyes.
"This is bad." He saw a very large creature circling across a mountain. It would lash the mountain with ice shards shooting from its mouth occasionally.
It looked like a basilisk. It was a very large white snake with thick scales. Each time it moved, across the mountain, the mountain turned more icy. It had an ice affinity. The creature had red eyes. With the way it was moving across the mountain, and shooting ice shards at the mountain, it seemed violent.
It was a legendary rank 1 creature.
"No wonder there were no creatures in the vicinity. It has either killed all of them or they were so afraid of it that they all fled the area," Aiden thought.
"Just discovered a legendary rank 1 chaotic beast, circling around a mountain ahead," Aiden said. He explained what he had just discovered to them.
"You’re kidding, right?" Seraphina said, her green eyes widening in shock.
"Looks like that creature is the solution to closing the gate to this pocket world," Asmodeus said.
"Yeah. It makes perfect sense. After all, it’s a legendary rank 1 chaotic beast. It should be radiating a lot of worldly energy that caused the gate to open, right?" Candice said, adjusting her white hair well.
"Yeah. I think that’s the case too. But how the hell are we supposed to kill it?" Luke asked. His dark eyes were almost losing signs of life. What kind of pocket world had they entered?
"I don’t think whatever creature Aiden discovered is the key to closing this pocket world," Desmonda added.
Everyone was shocked at her words.
She knew they needed a reason to believe her.
"We just entered this pocket world and the first creature Aiden discovered from his scouting is a legendary rank 1 ice basilisk. This creature is simply the overlord of this territory in my opinion. There are areas in this pocket world we are yet to explore. So, we can’t make any conclusions."
Everyone found her words logical.
They had jumped into conclusions.
Aiden nodded at her words. "I agree with Desmonda on this one. I suggest we try as much as we can to circle around the mountain the ice basilisk is circling across. We can explore further other places in this pocket world for clues. While we do that, we should hunt chaotic beasts and increase our strength in the process. Pocket worlds naturally have denser worldly energy we can use to cultivate."
Aiden added, "Our key to surviving in this place long enough to close the gate is to increase our strength."
There was no way he’d let anyone find out that he cultivated by absorbing blood essence. That was a secret no one would come to know.
This was why he included himself when he said pocket worlds naturally had denser worldly energy they could use to cultivate.
Everyone agreed to the plan.
"Now, how do we bypass this basilisk you are talking about?" Luke asked.
"Every living creature has a habit. A pattern. No matter how powerful it is, as long as it is studied well, there will be patterns to exploit. Snakes are known for taking long naps after feeding. We will wait for it to feed and sleep, then we will leave this place. The eyes of basilisks turn red and they act violent when they are hungry. The basilisk is launching ice shards towards the mountain it is circling about sporadically. Also, it has red eyes. These are signs a basilisk is hungry. It will feed on something very soon. After it’s done feeding, it will sleep. That will be our chance to escape."
Everyone sighed deeply. Glints of respect flashed through their eyes.
Everyone had some knowledge on the unique chaotic beasts in pocket worlds.
Basilisks were one of them. And what Aiden had just described was a common trait they had.
But no one had thought of how to use this to their advantage, and in such a way.
Aiden was really someone without any weaknesses to exploit. Having this guy as an enemy would be very dangerous.
Not only was he a monstrous combatant, he was also a tactical genius.
They all agreed to the plan.
Aiden decided to continue scouting.
No one asked how he was able to see that far.
They all assumed it was a special ability that came with his blood affinity. Besides, everyone had secrets. They were not close with him in the first place. And, even if they had been close with him, asking him something as personal as that would have been disrespectful.
The others closed their eyes, using various meditation techniques to absorb worldly energy in their surroundings to cultivate.
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